#halberd slices through

[ghoulaiid]

Definitely normal about him 🙈

[liketwoswansinbalance]

What if Evil Rhian and Evil Rafal interacted? Give me a good show, boys. 🍿

Note:

Expect violence and all-around ugliness.

Also, thanks for the prompt. This was a fun one!

⸻

Rafal: The one thing I can agree with Vulcan on is that we should've kept the name: The School for Evil and Good.

Rhian: What.

Rafal: You heard me. Clear as a death knell. Vulcan should've killed you while he had the chance. Instead I'm bedeviled by you, a foul nuisance spawned from "Vulcan's stithy."

[To clarify: In his Shakespearean insult, Rafal is now referencing the mythological, Roman god Vulcan, not Vulcan of Netherwood.]

Rhian: Well, you're a raging egomaniac, for someone who thinks himself the finest puppetmaster in the Woods despite being inadequate when set next to me.

Rafal: As if you're not one. And such language from the so-called Ever. Dean 'Headache' would blush.

Rhian: All right, let's say I descend to your wretched level, if only to vanquish you: you left me in the Doom Room, to rot!

Rafal: If you weren't a traitorous snake, I wouldn't have left you. Besides, you went behind my back to the Kingdom Council to frame me! To launch a war campaign against me without a jot of forewarning. I should have done worse while you were still vulnerable, hanging there, numb.

Rhian: And yet, I overheard you say to Midas that your aim was to take over all the Woods? What say you to that, devil brother? If I win and take over, I'll string you up by your vocal chords.

Rafal: [derisively] That's anatomically impossible. You're new at this, aren't you?

[Rhian lunges for Rafal, and they get into an all-out duel to the death, executing remarkable feats of arms, considering the pitiful weapons they're armed with.]

⸻

[During an intermission afterwards:]

[They are black and blue, battered and bruised all over, sustaining minor cuts, each gasping for his breath, and they are seated on chairs, beside one another.]

Rafal: I should've brought my poleaxe, or even a halberd, so I could fracture your skull properly. Strike out the brains and dash them on the floor. [shakes his head.] Would've been great fun to ram a longsword through your ribcage, too, had I brought it along. [He twists his letter opener around idly.] This meager, little thing isn't suited for thrusting; it barely did any damage.

Rhian: [nursing a long, open slice on his forearm] I think you did enough with that letter opener. [He sheathes his dagger.] Though, someone should've died, even if you failed to shear me in two. What gives. What's the matter with us?

Rafal: [glances over at the Storian] Looks like someone or some thing wants us alive to provide the entertainment. I'm not opposed to trying again though. Why don't we? I'd love to rip out your heart. It's not as if it's getting regular use anyway.

Rhian: And I wish to wreak the same harm upon you, with your tongue besides. I hate hearing that grating voice. So monotonous. You could be a punishment for others in Hell where you belong. Your lectures are torture enough.

Rafal: Well, you won't have to hear me much longer. Not that you ever listen. Your dismembered ears will make excellent trophies of war. I could have them plated with gold—gold on the outside, rot on the inside, just like your tainted soul. [He smiles to himself, satisfied, and then, fishes through his jacket pocket and finds a long piece of thread in a clump, trying to untie it, so he can use it to garrot Rhian, or at the very least, choke him effectively enough.]

Rhian: And I'm sure your bones would make a lovely tea set, once they're pulverized. [Rhian reaches over to clock Rafal upside the head with a book.]

Rafal: [leans out of reach, rolling his eyes] Child's play. [He shoves Rhian off his chair and that devolves into a second fistfight on the floor, more vicious than the first, in an all-out brawl as they forgo all dignity.]

Rhian: At least I have HONOR! [he bellows to stall Rafal, while attempting to summon his dragonfire.] I'll scorch you like I would a snowman!

Rafal: [raising his voice as he throttles Rhian in the neck, punctuating every sentence with a punch] You? Honor? You're the least honorable man I know. At least my Evil's out in the open, for all to see. Everyone knows I use underhanded means. Everyone knows I'm a two-faced backstabber. And they rightly take precaution and obey me. [spoken through his teeth with a clenched jaw.] My Evil's a publicly-acknowledged fact. Can't say the same about you, you who went to the Kingdom Council, who indelicately skirts around Ever customs despite claiming to be one. Which makes me the "honorable" one, by your twisted definition.

Rhian: How dare you— [as he rakes his nails across Rafal's face, drawing blood that clots immediately due to their self-healing, as per the original oath, leaving shallow, stinging wounds that knit themselves right up.] I will outlast you!

[Don't ask me how they can still heal despite breaking their oaths. The Storian derives sick entertainment from mindless repetition and senseless, brutish violence. That's why.]

[And, the Storian doesn't bother to write because this is a regular occurrence with two Evil twins—it's unworthy of a tale, infighting not balance. And so, the Pen just watches and waits and watches...]

[multiplicity-positivity]

Grounding Techniques

We often mention and recommend grounding on this blog as a way to help folks who feel dissociated, overwhelmed, anxious, dazed, blurry, or disconnected. But we don’t have a post specifically compiling grounding techniques, so we decided to make one! Here are a few things our system does to ground ourselves when we’re feeling out of it.

Breathe!

Breathe in deep through your nose for 4 seconds, filling up your chest and belly with air, then exhale through your mouth for 7 seconds. Rinse and repeat - we usually do this 4-6 times in order to gain a bit more clarity or calm down.

The following clip can also be used - feel free to save this and breathe along with it to help calm down!

(Description:) A short clip of a small line expanding into a triangle, square, pentagon, adding sides up to an octagon with the prompt “Breathe in,” then shrinking back down to a small line with the prompt “Breathe out” over a period of nine seconds (End Description.)

4-3-2-1

Try to notice and pay attention to your surroundings. List 4 things you can see, 3 things you can feel, 2 things you can hear, and 1 thing you can taste or smell. You could also do 5-4-3-2-1 for sight, touch, sound, smell, and taste!

Sharp Experiences

Pull yourself out of a spiral, bring your focus on the present, or gain some sensation if you’re dissociating with a sharp experience. Hold a piece of ice or eat a lemon slice our a sour candy. Our system carries Warhead candies to help ground ourselves with sharp experiences.

Observations

Notice all sorts of things around you - clothes, furniture, utensils, anything within reach that you can safely touch. What is the texture like? Is anything soft, rough, smooth, hard, cool, or bumpy? What does it look like? Can you name some specific colors or shapes that you see? Try to be as specific with your observations as you can.

Take a walk

Take a short walk outside or around your current space. Try to notice how your body feels as you move. Count the steps that you take. Look at everything around you, and notice how what you see and hear changes with your movement.

Centering Statements

A centering statement can be a great way to help ground yourself in the present moment in time and space. You can write your statement down beforehand and take a look at it whenever you need, filling in the gaps for your present moment and situation. The centering statement our system uses these days says:

“My name is [system member]. I am a part of the Halberd Crew. I am [age] years old. I have [physical features]. The date is [date] and the time is [time]. I am in [physical location]. If I need help, I can contact [partner system] at [phone number].”

REST

While this may work for grounding when dissociated, this strategy is more intended for calming down when overwhelmed. We’ve covered this technique in detail in a previous post, which we’ll link HERE (<- hyperlink).

This pretty much sums up the grounding techniques that various members of our system use in order to help themselves when feeling disconnected or frazzled. We hope something here can be of some use to someone out there! Remember to look after yourselves to the best of your ability, and use some of these techniques to help ground yourself if you need to in the future. Thanks so much for reading, and take care!

[thegreatandpowerfulversy]

Hey, Kaiser is dead! Finally some good news!

Armsmaster stepped forward, leaped up higher than any normal human could, and caught Leviathan just above the knee with the Halberd, driving the blade nearly a third of the way to the bone.

What bone?

"You don’t even speak English, do you?  Or you’d know what I was saying, you’d know I already won.  The others helped, slowing you down, stopping the waves.  But this victory, this killing blow?  It’s going to be mine.”

Armsmaster, you idiot. That ego and need for publicity is going to get you killed.

“This cloud around my blade? Nanotechnology. Nano-structures engineered to slide between atoms, sever molecular bonds. Cuts through anything. Everything. Like a sharp knife through air."

Okay, this one's not Armsmaster's fault, it's Wildbow's. If nanotechnology is machines built on scales of nanometers, that's still too big for that job by a factor of ten at least. And worse, where does all the energy from the chemical bonds go? Why doesn't this halberd trail fire in its wake everywhere as it accidentally slices apart O2 molecules in the air and creates free radicals ready to oxygenate everything in the area? At the very least, it should be written to have a superheated blade at all times and the option to produce an explosion upon stabbing a target, that would be reasonable uses of tinkertech to skirt around the edges of physics and take the consequences into account rather than just ignoring it completely.

"For the record, that last trick was a temporal stasis trigger, with thanks owed to the cooperation of a subordinate of mine. Drains my battery reserves, but you don’t understand that, do you?”

Armsmaster, you idiot! Didn't you hear Legend before the fight? This isn't Behemoth. It probably can understand you!

The storm sewers.

The storm sewers...

“Armsmaster down! CC-7!

Did I miss something earlier? I genuinely have no fucking clue what these codes and numbers mean or why they keep changing.

[myceliumelium]

Okay lotr/sil OCs I have two that are a package set, cousins sort of? (You don't have to do both ^__^ or, you know, either if they don't spark anything)

One is male, reasonably tall, tan skin, with wide eyes that are grey but just a bit lavender (the kind of color that doesn't really register as lavender unless he wears purple or blue kinda? If that makes sense?).

He has the kind of features people describe as cheerful and sunny. A really nice smile? He has a scar split through the far left side of his lower lip down nearly to his chin from a fight he got into (someone said something he couldn't let go)

His hair is rabbits fur tan-grey. Which I headcanon as a mostly Sindar hair color. (Which meikers and other doll sites never have *sad sigh*) Texture is wispy fine, the kind of hair that starts coming out of whatever style its been put in to immediately after its been put up unless massive amounts of fixture is used, so he only does fancy styles for special occasions. Mostly it goes up in a bun, or a tail, or braids at the temples and pulled back, always with bits flying free of the style. It's usually about waist length if he hasn't burned it off doing something inadvisable.

He wears several gold hoops and studs, with ruby and garnet stones, and bangles, because he likes the clinking sounds they make. He sometimes wears a few rings on each hand (Noldor and their sparkly things) but more often he needs his hands free of things that could catch, so he strings them on the gold chain he wears, along side a small pendant star of Feanor.

He dresses nicely! Except he is one of those people that can't keep away from things that cause messes ever so his clothes almost always end up rumpled or singed or torn.

His cousin is blatantly and unabashedly based, personality wise, on Joan Watson from Elementary. So like, adventurous lady who seems like she's calmer and more careful, but that's only compared to her very smart but somewhat unhinged bestie and partner.

She's a little bit taller than my guy OC, with a similar skin tone, and grey eyes. No lavender for her, her's are thunderhead grey. Her hair is dark reddish brown, and wavy when loose. She has a shallow widows peak. She mostly keeps it back in a tight braid that reaches about down to her tailbone, or up with (sharp) jeweled hair sticks. Style made fancier when she needs it to be.

She has sharp features, and a resting face that says she is Unimpressed. She's got no facial scars, but several slices across the sides of her arms and forearms. Most are faded to almost nothing. She's pretty careful.

She wears a single pair of gold and ruby studs, with a matching necklace and cuff bracelet. She's Noldor but doesn't really 'get' the jewelry thing. She has as much as any lady, but only wears it when she has to. She does quite like fancy clothing though! She very much appreciates lovely colors and fabrics and embroidery. She just often ends up following her cousin onto rooftops and through fens and up mountains so she mostly keeps to practical AND pretty, and saves the gowns for when they're actually in Mithlond or other gown appropriate venues.

Both are generally armed, him with a sword and a bow, her with a shield and a halberd.

If something is mysteriously on fire, and they're in the area, there is like an 80% chance they're involved.

You will notice I have mentioned no names! These two are being SO stubborn about that. No names yet. Just stand ins of Rabbit and Fox!

The ask of not absolutely Drenching a noldo in jewellery was a big ask but I channeled the maximalism into the surcoat embroidery.

Fox is lovely, and I'm so glad you have me the chance to draw her!

I feel like they'd get along great with one of my ocs. same kind of chaos energy.

[birdy-the-tweet]

Nexocember

Pt. 1 — Royal

And so it begins! I wanted to use this challenge as a way to infodump about the rewrite and the lore around it. And what better way to start off than to talk about the man who started it all?

The Halbert royal family has been the only one to claim the throne of Knighton for almost a thousand years. With no competition against their kindness and godly understanding of technology and innovation, the kingdom remains the strongest empire in all the realm, all thanks to the goodness and grace of the Halberts of the past.

In the beginning, there was no order. Only chaos rampaged a land shrouded in darkness and disaster. But when all seemed bleak, a light beckoned through the shadows and summoned forth a team of mighty heroes to save the domain from anarchy. With a halberd forged by the hands of the otherworldly and all knowing, he sliced through the darkness and summoned the first bolt of lightning to illuminate the world. All would know him forever more as the first king of Knighton, King Augustin Halbert.

Centuries later, a horrid blizzard chased many hundreds of civilians out of their farmlands into the heart of the kingdom, Knightonia. With the city’s light disabled and no hope of restoring power to its network, the king of the era guided dozens of traveling caravans and families into the palace with only a measly candle to light the way. Many other households would follow in his footsteps, illuminating the grand city in candlelight for all the lost and unfortunate to find. On this day in the year 438, the first Candle Festival was held within the palace walls, and King Oddys Halbert would be remembered for ever more.

In the year 846, two monsters arose from the deepest pits of darkness and heartlessly attacked the good people of Knighton, one a fearless fey and the other a power hungry necromancer. Shadows fell on the bright land once more, and monsters prowled the earth in search of easy prey. But against all odds, the king and his loyal knights marched to battle and — with the help of the magnificent Wizards’ Council — vanquished both foes. The fey was banished to a realm of nothingness by the power of the king’s unbreakable sword Techcalibur, and the necromancer was destroyed by the compassion and power of the great wizard Merlok. Even today, the people preach the legendary battles in their movies and plays, reciting the glory of Merlok and the honor of King Arthus Halbert.

If only Macy could live up to that legacy…

———————————————————————

[kid-az]

Ultrakill fanmade Angel enemies

All of the spritework was commisioned by @eternalonysyn on Twitter. Meanwhile all of the writing is my own.

///COURAGE///

Type: Lesser Angel

Data: The souls of human warrior’s, should they be allowed entry to heaven, are given the shape of red-tinted equines, their downward-pointing wings and halos being where their heads should be.

Surrounded by four chakrams in their torso area, these angels use their weapons as boomerangs, sending them out at targets to slice apart and explode, and then retrieving them to be reheated. They may also charge at enemies, their wings acting as heated blades capable of ripping through steel as if it were paper.

These angels act as the common infantry of heaven, being instrumental in putting down the Sisyphean insurrection. They may also be sent down should a particularly dangerous threat to the council's authority be found.

Strategy: Courage are skilled opponents who utilize speed and brawn to their advantage. Although unparryable with the Feedbacker when charging, they can be momentarily stunned via the Knuckleblaster.

Just as Virtues, they get enraged whenever an opponent exists for too long. Having their chakram’s spin around themselves, this is as much of a danger to them as their opponent, as they now attract nails and sawblades.

///FAITHFUL///

Type: Lesser Angel

Data: These green, bird-like angels with upward-pointing wings are the souls of especially lawful and benevolent rulers, healers, and people of authority, given the sacred duty of supporting and leading other angels and allies in combat.

These angels, surrounded by rings of pearls, use them to heal the wounds of companions, with even scars and severed limbs being healed completely from their blessings.

These angels are given the most respect among the human-borne angels, for they are indiscriminate to whomever needs healing, and will brave even the most deadly of hazards to provide aid.

Strategy: As they heal every enemy closeby, it is imperative that you use methods that instantly rend opponents to prevent your efforts going to waste. A constant source of damage, such as the screwdriver, can also prevent the healing of an enemy.

However, killing too many allies in their presence may cause the Faithful to enrage, making every other enemy also enraged in the process. In most encounters, these angels should be given priority over all other opponents.

///PRINCIPALITY///

Type: Greater Angel

Data: Due to the deeper layers of hell being home to far more dangerous demons and husks, Virtues alone would easily find themselves overwhelmed. This is where the Principalities step in, known for their signature light blue robes embroidered with gilded threads, and wielding a halberd and explosive incense which burst into lasting, turquoise flames.

Although more often than not guards of the deeper levels, Uriel has also assigned them to protect the libraries and observatories of Heaven, their lasting, surface-denying flames burning the flesh and metal of enemies yet leaving the paper and clay scriptures completely unharmed.

They are no slouch in melee either, for these angels have been known to utilize their halberds to impale, slice and bludgeon enemies alike, and if not outright slaughtering them then send them careening into a hard surface.

Strategy: Their incense burners act as powerful, incendiary bombs, creating lasting flames onto any surfaces that can damage you. One may find there to be no safe surfaces to stand in should the Principality remain or if you don’t parry them.

Should they get enraged, they will begin to teleport around the arena, forgoing their burners to instead smack you from behind. Utilize close-ranged weapons against them, especially the knuckleblaster.

///THRONE///

Type: Supreme Angel

Data: Although most greater and supreme angels are human-like in shape, these angels, having been created before all others, are the exception to this rule, with six, eye-covered wheels surrounding one large eye at the center. Two pairs of gilded, glowing wings surround and blanket their abstract bodies.

These angels are some of the strongest in Heaven, and with a combination of heavenly light they can cast down, summoning of homing swords and explosive axes, as well as a powerful, focused laser blast that they can emit from their large central eye, they are exceeded in power only by the Archangels.

For all their power however, the Thrones intelligence is unimpressive, being slightly smarter than the average demon, and only due to them passing the mirror test. They are also completely loyal, following whatever orders they are given to an T even if it proves to be their undoing.

Strategy: Their heavenly beams, while similar to the ones used by their smaller Virtue cousins, are much larger, and can be fired vertically AND horizontally. Mobility is key to fighting these powerful opponents.

Although extremely durable and hard to kill, Thrones have proven much weaker to nails than most other angels, and focused fire can whittle down their otherwise impressive defenses.

[thoroughlysaucedsparrow]

AAAAAAAAA ITS DONEEE

I measured it and this thing is fucking 6’6-

(materials and process underneath vv)

Materials used:

-3 pvc pipe segments with the screw adapters

-Eva foam : 2mm, 5mm, 10mm

-Foam clay

-Thermoplastic beads

-Metal wire

-Various superglues

-Spray paint

-Acrylic paint

~~ The Pvc Segments:

I started off with three 2ft pvc segments and glued the cross adaptor on the top, then proceeded to hack off and move around pieces as I saw fit. For the top segment I believe I cut off 5in, then glued 3 to the top of the cross pipe and tossed the remaining 2in. I also cut off 8in on the bottom to make way for the spike which is around 5.5in.

(The original pipes, I didn’t really have any other progress pics of this part)

~~ The Main Blade:

I started by going into FireAlpaca and separating the halberd from Sinclair’s sprite, then broke it up into various pieces and used Rasterbator to size up the blade. After that I printed it out, assembled it, and transferred it to freezer paper to adjust it as I saw fit.

After that I cut out two pieces of 10mm foam and glued them together as the main blade, then added the details with some 2mm foam I got from Walmart I think? I proceeded to hack away chunks of foam with Eva foam with a box cutter (and almost sliced my hand open in the process) before sanding the absolute crap out of it)

Once it was all sanded and I was content with it I took my heat gun and sealed all the foam and got rid of the fluffy texture created by the sanding and filled some of the gaps with foam clay.

After the blade I was done I stuck some wire into it, then shoved that wire through some thermoplastic beads I had melted and put in the pipe, and superglued it. It really wasn’t wanting to stay so I added more thermoplastic around the outside and proceeded to add more superglue (Gorilla and Flex Seal glue if I recall correctly) which has seemed to help it stay on. It’s not 100% stable but as long as I’m careful with it I’m ok.

~~

The Spikes:

Just like the blade, I made the pattern based the sprite itself. Using the line tool in FireAlpaca I traced over the top spike and the side spike and got the pattern from that. I resized and reshaped them in a Google doc before printing them out. After that I traced two of the spike pieces, cut one in half vertically and glued them together. After that I used small triangular pieces of foam to connect the corners and with that the skeleton was done (I added wire into the bottom spike for support as it is going to be bashing the floor a lot). i then filled the skeletons with foam clay, making sure to get all the sides even and filled completely.

(I forgot to add the triangle pieces in the bottom spike until later)

Once I sanded them and attacked them with the same method as the blade the base was done!

~~ Painting:

In order to create a stable base to paint on I shoved three wooden dowels into a fertilizer box and hot glued them down. I then broke the halberd down and put each piece on the spike before spraying it with multiple coats of plastidip.

(Note- I taped off the parts that would be screwed down as I was afraid that the paint would interfere with the threading. I don’t know if it would actually cause any problems but I didn’t feel like risking it)

Once that was completely dry I sprayed it with three coats of Rustolem Black High Gloss paint.

Finally, I dry brushed everything with silver paint and added the lettering, using some black paint to mimic the paint chipping.

Once I added two coats of Rustolem clear sealant it was done!! The overall process took about two weeks and I’m quite happy with how it turned out! I may or may not have injured myself a lot during the process because I’m stupid but it was quite a fun project, and I do have more Project Moon props planned for the future such as Don’s lance and Argalia’s scythe. Once I finish my full cosplay I’ll make a post similar to this one :)

[shevee-the-word-wielder]

Creature of Soul Matter: The Emotion in Heart

Chapter 10: Titans and Portals

<- Prev | Next ->

Creature of Soul Matter: The Emotion in Heart AO3

Happy Elfilis day!

I take off, immediately analyzing this… thing. It has many wings lining it's sides, in a pattern that most are small in but with occasional very large, leathery wings, with the approach of the back of the body having the wings be smaller and smaller. It has spikes tracing its top and bottom, clashing together as it flies, it seems like little jolts of electricity jump from it with each collision.

I put on some extra speed and fly over to hover by its head. Let's see if this thing is at all peaceful or ignorant.

It immediately tries to snap at me and I dart away… fine then, no working my way out of this one.

Meta Knight flies over on the Warpstar.

The creature whips around and opens it's maw. I jolt out of the way just before a strike of electricity blasts by.

It turns to the Warpstar and Meta Knight also barely avoids a strike.

I take the time it took to look at Meta to launch forward and land on its head. I summon my halberd and stab down, gaining hold of my position just before it starts shaking around.

I hold onto the staff as my body gets thrown around, and I hear it continuously shooting lightning.

It stops flailing and jerks its head down, dislodging the blade.

It turns and bites at me, just short, and does it again. I hold up my halberd up my height as the jaw closes over me, and it keeps the mouth open.

It eerily doesn't make a noise as it gets stabbed in the roof of its mouth… a little glow comes from its throat, what is it?

A bolt of electricity suddenly strikes me on the chest and barrels me out.

Meta Knight stops what he was doing, which sends to have been slashing at its larger wings and flies over to me, as I now hold my singed chest in pain.

"Can you keep going?!" He worries

My halberd reappears in my free hand. "I'm sure I can." I say with some strain on my voice.

The creature had started flying at us, opening it's sharp mouth again.

I ready myself, and I don't make the same mistake twice.

I fly up a bit and Meta Knight goes to the side just before it reaches us.

I strike down on its head, snapping it's jaw shut and redirecting its path.

I use the leverage to launch myself up and right through one of my portals.

I come out on the other side, flying towards one of its big wings.

I swipe my blade, severing off its wing immediately.

This gets a proper roar out of it, and it doesn't last long as I watch Meta Knight cut down a few spikes on its back.

It let's out a lightning blot from its body, a constant one, and sweeps it around and at me.

I quickly tip up the wing and block the shot. It still has enough force to push me and my makeshift shield back a bit.

But it continues to spit electricity, continuing to push me back and apprehending my ability to safely open a vortex, I can feel as the wing slowly heats up, it'll probably start melting soon.

I hear a snap, and stop feeling the electricity blast against me. I peak around the wing to see Meta Knight with his sword driven into the beasts jaw. It tries to jerk away, but Galaxia holds in.

I leave my place and try to fly to them. I can probably help Meta.

The creature takes off, flying right for me. I stop and ready myself for an attack.

It instead flies right by me, and as Meta Knight passes I hear, "Give! Me! Kirby! Back!"

I start to pursue and just barely get a good glimpse of Meta dragging back, slicing the jaw. Golden light starts to pour from the gash, but the monster doesn't stop. He's gonna need help…

I finally remember to portal over and catch up, grabbing Meta Knight as he's barely hanging on with one hand.

He seems surprised at this but nods when he sees me, giving a determined look. I give him a little boost and he gets a better grab on the hilt of Galaxia, now using both hands.

I trust my wings back and watch as Galaxia glides through the belly of this serpent, causing it to screech. We end off and I launch up, Meta Knight still in hand.

The creature is still screeching.

"Throw me at it's head!" Meta Knight commands over the noise.

I ready him behind my head, aim, and throw him.

Meta Knight travels quickly and meets it's head, traveling right through, and the creature freezes up. It's eyes go dull before golden light starts bursting from its body, promptly before the light consumes it, making a loud humming noise, and vanishes, leaving nothing but a pink orb and three other orbs behind.

I can hear Meta Knight from here as he yells Kirby's name and flies to him. I follow down as well and meet Elfilin there, who was likely just watching, luckily.

Meta Knight grabs Kirby and lightly shakes him. "Kirby! Are you conscious?!"

"Uh?"

"Oh Kirby…" Meta Knight's tone and gaze immediately soften up. "You're okay…" he pulls him in for a hug Elfilin joins. I really like this soft side of Meta…

The Energy Spheres draw my attention. There's three of them now… meaning the creature already likely had one. What was that thing and why was it after the Spheres?

"It likely wanted these Energy Spheres for the power they granted it… but why did they have such a special effect on it?" Meta Knight mutters, answering my thoughts and giving me similar questions.

I begin to approach the spheres and watch as they all interlink again and form more arrows, pointing up from my orientation.

I delicately reach out and grab them.

"I think we can finally follow them again." I say with a slight chuckle.

I turn around to let the group look at the direction that's being given.

Meta Knight nods and the Warpstar flies over to pick them all up.

I still need to help Elfilin with his vortices… now could be a good time

Before Elfilin hops on with them, I call out to him.

"Hey Elfilin?"

"Huh?"

"I think now might be a good time for me to help you with your portals, care to join me?"

He looks slightly surprised, "Oh! Uh! Sure!" His face immediately becomes more gleeful and he joins me on my horn.

"Alright let's go." Meta Knight says, so Kirby takes off and I keep close.

I try to organize my thoughts. I run into the dilemma again of not knowing how to teach something that's so natural to me…

Natural…  to me…

I suddenly remember what I was told to do to open my first vortex all those millenniums ago.

|"So, Elfilin. I think I got something for you."|

|"Okaaaay?"| he… I need a term for this soul related form of telepathy… Soul Speak, Soul Speak probably works. He Soul Speaks back with intrigue.

|"So you remember that power moving I taught you?"|

|"Yeah?"|

|"Well now, uh, imagine you take that power and form it into a shape, let's say a square for now."|

|"Uhhh, okay?"| he thinks with some confusion. After a moment he starts Soul Speaking again. |"I think I got it?"| he shutters |'Ohhh, this feels weird.'|

So that works… |"Okay, so since that worked let's move onto a more complicated thing, imagine that power as a needle. Tell me when you're done."|

After a bit more time than before he answers, |"Uhhhh, I hope that's right, it feels even weirder so I'm going to assume it is. Where are you going with this?"|

|"You'll see… anyways, now I want you to imagine two thin fabrics, both at different locations, preferably one of them near you."|

… |"Okaaaay?"|

|"Alright, now, here's this. Those two fabrics aren't actually different, they're the two sides of a single fabric, separated but still interlinked."|

|"That's confusing… but I think I got it?"|

|"Now use that power needle and pierce one side of it, this means the needle should come out on the other side of the fabric that's in a different part of the universe."|

… He doesn't respond but I let him focus.

|"I think it worked!"| He suddenly exclaims into my soul.

|"Okay okay! Good! Now here's the tricky part, imagine those two halves of the needle coming back together to meet at a center point between the two halves of the fabric, while doing this the sheets should stretch with the needle's movement, until the two points connect, reconnecting the two halves of the fabric."|

He focuses… |"I can feel it!"|

|"Perfect! Now you know how needles put holes in things? Well there's a hole in this fabric, start to widen the needle and the hole should grow while the fabric forms a tunnel around it."|

I hold out my arm to stop Kirby, we all float in space… waiting for Elfilin.

He sits on my horn, unmoving. Before letting go of my horn and I feel… I feel a vortex from a power the same as mine.

I back up to get a better look at him as he raises his little nubs in the air and see a tiny little star shape forming and slowly growing.

Come on kid… I want to encourage him but I don't want to deter his attention… he's so close.

He clenches his eyes and starts shaking a bit in the strain… and the portal continues to grow…

Eventually he gives one last final push and stops. And the portal remains, although small, but it remains!

He looks at in astonishment, looks at his paws, and back up to it.

"I-... I DID IT!!" He joyously exclaims. He begins hoping in the air, popping his arms out and twirling, cutely chuckling at his success.

"I did it, I did it, I did it!" He starts flying around, doing little flips and jumps.

I smile a lot, enough that my mouth might be showing. His big victory, his joyous celebration, I'm proud of him.

He flies at me suddenly and hugs my snout. "Thank you, thank you, thhhank you!"

I laugh a little, "Of course!" Anything for him.

The other two fly over and Meta Knight pats him on the back, "Congrats Elfilin."

"Yeah! Congrats Elfilin, you're doing so well!!" Kirby also says. He hops off the star and tackle hugs Elfilin.

They both float away slowly, laughing along the way

"It's great…" I say lightly.

"Hmm?"

"Having everyone be happy like this. It makes me happy. I wish I didn't have to miss out on so much of it for so long…"

"Hmm… yeah… being happy is the ultimate goal, isn't it? … You know what? Once this all blows over, you and any of your friends we can find can come live on Planet Popstar with us, I'm sure you all would be great company."

… "That would be great… thank you."

"My pleasure… I'll be going over to go grab them now." He flies the Warpstar over to the two.

Once this all blows over… but… something's going on in the background… These dreams are forced on me… I don't think finding my friends will be the end of it… maybe only the beginning.

It's likely going to try to hurt them all, and I still don't even know what it is.

I watch as Elfilin and Kirby playfully tussle as Meta tries to hold them both down for long enough to get them to calm down and join him.

Kirby is the friendliest thing I've ever met, putting himself up front for the greater good; Meta Knight is a protective guardian trying to guild everyone to better themselves; King Dedede is a leader and ruler to masses, a caretaker; Bandee is making his way through life, seemingly always by the side of someone, kid's got some potential; and Elfilin… so insecure and unsure, I've only known him for such a short time but I want to protect him with my life, it feels as if I've known him for centuries…

… I will protect all these people, even if it costs myself…

That thing is going to have to go through me. And I'll only go down with a fight and ensured safety for the others.

[sugaravagnar]

A Fight for Courage

Sugar was in the ruins drawing a sigil upon the remains of a wall. It was dark except for the glow of his carbuncle, Buncle Bunny. The only sounds in the deserted building was were that of the Xaela’s chalk clacking upon the stone surface.

“Hush, I know.” Hissed Sugar in a quiet voice, presumably towards his only companion. “We’ve fought Voidsent before, we can do this.”

The carbuncle sat on its rump. Looking pretentiously uninterested at Sugar. But it didn’t seem to speak the words of man, certainly not aloud.

Finished with his work, he stepped aside looking proud. “We have this. It’s just an Ahriman. We’ve handled far worse.” Then waiting for the familiar’s reply. “Oh so what?” Huffing in indignity, “We can do this alone, no issue. Go in, kill it, go out. Half a bell adventure.”

The Xaela, terrible at secrets, was also terrible at keeping himself a secret. His voice has risen enough to carry through the site. Alerting its man-eating denizen to his presence. Were Sugar more aware of his surroundings and not busy holding arguments with his mystical friend, he might’ve heard the flapping of the his quarry’s approach.

“Pffft, scared? Am not! An Ahriman is less frightening than a hungry Coeurl. Here…” Picking the emerald Carbuncle up and setting it on a piece of stone nearly level with his face. “…look at me. Don’t ruin this for us.” He jabs a warning finger at the Carbuncle’s nose, who looks equally incredulous and offended.

In placing the Carbuncle, he turned his back on the creeping monster. Fortunately, Buncle Bunny could see it; slavering with hunger and opening it’s maw to to take a bite of the unsuspecting summoner. With a squeak, it flipped from its perch and flung slicing wind over Sugar’s shoulder towards the Ahriman.

The Voidsent was just ilms away from taking a chunk out of Sugar when it’s buffeted by concentrated wind rather. Sugar had just lurched forward in surprise as the sharp teeth chomped together. Spinning around, he had mere seconds to assess the situation.

“Shite!” Looking over his shoulder to yell at his carbuncle, “Come on!” Just as he’s about to take off, the bristling buncle leaps from its perch on the wall to his shoulders and they’re off running through the ruins.

“Oh be quiet! It was not that close of a call!” The Xaela intent on wasting breath for this argument as they ran for their life.

Meanwhile the Ahriman had recovered, screeching its frustration and flapping madly behind the pair to catch up to its prey.

“I know what I’m doing! Just give me a damn moment.” All the working out he’d done was paying off, putting ground between him and monster. Turning here, leaping over a low wall there. Finally, when he thought he had sufficient amount of space, he stopped.

There he unhooked his tome from his hip. Raising it up and flipping to the correct page with nothing but aether. A quiet incantation being recited on his lips. The Ahriman had just turned the corner and was advancing rapidly on the two. Raising his hands up as though to beckon something from the heavens or raise up from the earth.

The Ahriman was nearly upon them when the carbuncle’s tail flared. A magical summoning circle appeared and seemingly from it a figure rode out. A monstrous appearance in it’s own right. Looking as though a man in brilliant red armor and a halberd riding atop a demon with a maw, terrible raking claws, and a lashing backwards scorpion tail.

The Voidsent gave pause to this greater change in aether. A more intelligent being might recognize the summon as a lesser Zurvan. But regardless, it approached. Its hunger didn’t allow it to give up so easily.

Sugar wore a large smirk on his face at the hesitance of the beast. “See? Told you I have it.” Unbeknownst to him, Buncle Bunny actually rolled its eyes. The Xaela pointed at the Ahriman in a wordless command to his egi. Movement rippled through the ethereal being as it charged forward.

Claws outstretched, jaws gnashing, halberd aimed right at the massive pupil of the evil being. Seeing this, the Ahriman made a clumsy dodge to the side. It’s wing get clipped but otherwise seems relatively unharmed. Howling its surprise and pain, it tries to attack the summon, but its teeth pass through. Confused, but not deterred, it tries to gear up its next attack. Opening it’s eye wide and staring directly at its target’s face.

In the meantime, Sugar tries to take full advantage of his egi’s failed attack but improvised distraction. Turning his palm upwards and a snowflake floats up. A magical ring starts to connect all the points; upon its completion, a beam of ice fires from the center to the monster, hitting it square in the back. But unfortunately, its focus is now back upon the Xaela as it lets off its attack.

“Ah, fu—“

Momentarily unable to move, but so too does the Egi stop moving. The Ahriman may not have been smart, but knew enough to keep its true prey in sight now. Screaming towards the immobilized enemy, jaws clashing together in anticipation.

Buncle Bunny lifts its ears, having used them to cover its eyes could see the oncoming danger once more. Audibly chittering to its master to get him to move, but only slight tremors came from him. While getting stronger, it didn’t seem nearly enough to dodge.

Tippy tapping its paws in anxiety on the man’s shoulders as the predator closed in. The indecision on its face, but it knew what it must do. With a slight groan, just as the Voidsent got in range, Buncle Bunny launched itself, head first, into the Ahriman’s eye.

The howl of indignation and pain was incredible as the voidsent wheeled off-course. Buncle Bunny landed, looking grim and disgusted as its head was covered in eyeball goo. Just then, Sugar finally regained movement.

“Don’t give me that! It’s part of the job.” He mutters, snapping his finger at Zurvan, who disappears, but the Xaela starts to glow as armor starts to form. At first looking as though ice is sprouting from him, but it turns red and just as it looks fully formed, it flashes. Sugar becomes clad in the same armor that Zurvan seemed to be.

Forming a spear from ice aether, Sugar takes it in hand. Despite never having any training with one, it’s like he’s practiced. Every movement fluid and graceful. But the Au Ra’s eyes looked to be in a trance. Unwavering on his enemy as he prepares to pounce.

Leaping from the ground with such force as to kick up dirt and stone, his spear at his side. The Ahriman sensing the change in the battle’s tide, turns tail. Flapping away frantically, effectively backtracking the way it’d chased its would-be meal. Turning corners, scrambling and flailing its way over walls.

Sugar followed too. Long leaps after, only slowing down at turns. The already fallen ruins becoming more and more as rubble as the self-entranced Xaela crashed into walls only to use the remains as a foothold for the next leap.

Eventually, the Ahriman had cornered itself in the same place as Sugar had started. Turning to meet its fate, the Xaela was only a leap behind. Pushing off with such force and extending his spear out for the final blow. The dust and debris cloud the scene.

Buncle Bunny comes bounding up just as vision can be restored. Seeing its master, sans armor and spear. The trance time must be up.

“See? All handled.” Giving his familiar an arrogant grin.

But the dust clears enough to see the Ahriman, who’d been recoiled and braced for death. Finding itself unharmed and still among the living, it looked briefly relieved. The furious at its attackers. Roaring in the man’s face in triumph and vengeance.

Squeaking in surprise and shock as his head whipped towards the Ahriman, it should be dead! But alas, a closer inspection would show his spear had hit the wall as there was a deep piercing hole and crater around it. The Voidsent must’ve flinched at the last moment to avoid the killing blow.

“I know he was less than five fulms from me!” Seeming to yell back frantically at Buncle Bunny.

Falling to the ground and crawling backwards with his hands and legs. Fear written on his face. Buncle Bunny was galloping towards him with all the speed it could muster but not quick enough.

The Ahriman sensed victory and a hefty meal in front of it. Licking it’s choppers, it opens wide to finish off the summoner. Taking but an ilm forward to lean forward, its wing brushes against the signal he’d put earlier.

In an instant, it glows flashes. A huge greatsword seems to slide out of it all in the span of a blink of an eye. Right into the Ahriman, impaling it. The Voidsent’s pupil narrows then rolls up into its head as its body goes slack. Rattling with its last breath as it suddenly poofs into nothing.

In disbelief, Sugar watched it die. Flopping to the ground, and calming both his nerves and breath. Staring up at the sky and counting his lucky stars. Just then, Buncle Bunny leans over him with a very unamused and ‘told-you-so’ face.

“Not a word of this to anyone.” Sugar breathes out.

[rikalovesrice]

The Eternal Day : Tales of Arcadia - Chapter 10

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Author’s Notes : The theme for the next two chapters is "Bravestone" by Two Steps From Hell :3 Let's skip the preamble and get into it, shall we?

Please enjoy!

~

Champions

Jim leapt with ease across the rooftops with the strength and agility of his troll form. Aja and Krel flew past him on their hoverboards. Douxie and Zoe rode beside on a big Archie’s back. Their shouting allies streamed behind them, claws, weapons, and spells drawn. Sounds of warfare erupted all around them. The ping of lasers, the woosh of  magic, the crunching of bones, grunts and hisses from impacts. 

A Krubera troll rammed a salamander with his spear before punching it in the jaw. An Akiridion soldier slid on her knees and dragged the blade of her serrator through the underside of a wolf. A wizard called down mystical meteors to pummel a pack of hellhounds, obliterating frospecters caught in their path. Tree carnifloras collided with volcanic behemoths, throwing showers of razor sharp leaves and giant embers.

The Fire Titan crashed onto its side from the stab of Forest Titan’s antlers and the Ice Titan went down on its knee from that devastating kick. Vines coiled around Nari’s middle as she channeled her aura through her Titan, the two becoming one. She maneuvered so that Bellroc was on her left and Skrael was on her right.

“Tenebris exilium!” Nari bellowed, holding her arms out straight towards her siblings. Her Titan copied, enormous rings of magic circling its fingers as heavy blasts of shamrock light barreled into the downed Titans. The Fire Titan was sent rolling and the Ice Titan staggered down on an elbow. 

Nari was already charging at Bellroc, winding up another spell. At the last second, the Fire Titan dug its claws into the ground and extended its neck to spit out a wall of scorching flames. Nari quickly altered her magic to create a shield before she ran right into the fire.

“How!?” Bellroc snarled. They, too, merged with their Titan, a crown resembling the symbol over its single eye socket forming around Bellroc’s head. 

Skrael growled and did the same. “How were you released from our control!?”

“My friends freed me,” Nari answered. “So now, I can stop you!”

Strings of green magic wove between the Forest Titan’s fingers, stitching a halberd of enchanted tree bark with an axehead trimmed with whetted brilliant green gemstones. Thorns sprouted all throughout its hair, the tips of the vines honed to slice and puncture.

Skrael got back on his feet and started running. Bellroc dove, angry flames spewing from their mouth. Nari whirled as Skrael swung the Ice Titan’s thick arm, ice scraping against the shaft of her halberd, while simultaneously entangling Bellroc with vines in the air. 

Jim set his sights on one of the volcanic behemoths, the monster standing at two hundred feet. He somersaulted and spun, swinging Excalibur right into one of its legs, red lava spilling when he slashed through its rocky obsidian skin. The creature roared and Jim leapt out of the way of massive flaming fists raining down, taking every chance he could to slice its beastly hands. He climbed onto its knuckles and swung his way up its long arm, stabbing Excalibur right in. The behemoth shrieked and shook Jim off, the force dislodging him and sending him tumbling. Before the behemoth could crush him, shots rang out above.

Aja mowed down the back of the monster’s head with her serrator cannon with the ferocity of a machine gun. Krel fired away with his own serrator, taking aim at the beast’s large dark pits of eyes. The behemoth swung its head wildly, the tips of its crimson horns just missing the bottom of their hoverboards. While Krel took over the range attacks, Aja reverted her serrator back to a blade and dove onto the behemoth’s back, slicing along its skin as she sprinted before digging the blade into the back of its neck. The behemoth rose up and swatted at the source of injury. Aja dodged the first couple of swipes, but lost her balance when the creatures forcefully tipped back onto its hands. 

Douxie swooped in with Archie just in time to catched her out of the air. 

“Apologies for the unceremonious lift, Your Majesty!” Douxie said.

“Only room for two up here,” Zoe said, grinning at Aja dangling from Archie’s paw.

“Lively!” Aja exclaimed. She laughed and dropped onto her hoverboard as it sped by. “Thank you, Douxie!”

“She finally got it right!” Douxie said. “Arch!” Archie skimmed the behemoth’s back and Douxie jumped off near its pointed ears, his staff taking on its guitar shape. “How ‘bout a lullaby?” Douxie strummed an elaborate riff, magic powering and amplifying the screech of the metal strings. The behemoth cringed and covered its ears, the deafening sound bringing it to its elbows. “Alligesnarae!” Glowing sky blue shackles trapped the behemoth against the ground.

As Jim dashed forward, the behemoth vomited a molten pool.

“Jim!” Douxie shouted. He conjured a trail of platforms at the last second, and Jim vaulted right over the lava without missing a step. 

Aja and Krel continued to fire away at the beast’s face. Douxie doubled down on his chains, making them so taut the behemoth started to wheeze. Jim sprung off the final platform and drove Excalibur into its skull. 

The behemoth let out one final roar before going still, the lava flowing beneath its skin graying.

“Klebtastic!” Krel cheered. “And Douxie, you need to teach me how to do that with my beats!”

“I think Zoe could help you more in that department. I’m not much of a technomancer, I’m afraid,” Douxie said. “But a jam session is definitely in order.”

Krel raised a brow. “What about jam?”

“Jim, are you alright?” Aja asked.

“I’m great. Thanks, I was about to get flattened back there,” Jim said, yanking Excalibur out of the dead behemoth’s forehead.

Aja gazed at him. “You know, somehow I feel like we’ve done this before.”

“Done what?”

“Fight together.”

“Huh. Now that you say that, I kind of do, too,” Jim said. “Which is weird cause up until a couple days ago, I only knew you through video calls.” He frowned in thought. “...Right?”

Something sparked in the back of Aja’s mind, small and faint. But she lost it as Akiridion battle pods zoomed overhead, opening fire on another volcanic behemoth that was going toe to toe with one of the giant combat robots.

“A-Anyway, I’m glad you’re alright. Keep it that way,” Aja said. “Krel, we need to get going.” They hopped back on their hoverboards and raced off towards their Arcane targets.

“Huh…So they forgot all about it, that’s why…,” Douxie said, just loud enough that Jim heard.

“Forgot what?”

Douxie spotted Zoe and Archie coming back for him. He grabbed onto Archie’s paw as they swept low and yelled at Jim as he flew away, “I’ll tell you later! Be careful!”

Jim’s face scrunched in confusion.

“Watch out, Jimbo!”

One of those skeletal frostbitten wolves was charging right at him. Jim swung Excalibur  in front of him and he was thrown onto his back beneath the beast. Its icicle fangs grinded against Excalibur as it tried to chew through the sword to get to Jim’s face, snarling ice cold breaths and drooling frigid saliva. In a flash of orange, the wolf was knocked right off him.

Toby waved his hammer. “Down, zombie ice Rover! Bad dog!”

Displeased with the nicknames, the wolf came plowing back. Aaarrrgghh hurdled over Toby to introduce its cold snout with his stone fist. The blow sent the wolf staggering into a shadow portal that quickly swirled close.

“Expertly done!” Blinky said from his partial mech suit.

“One down, ten million to go,” Claire said, glowering at the pack of ice wolves headed their way. Now with skeletal frostbitten bears joining their ranks, three of them.

“Egad!” Toby yelped. “More like frozen Yogi Bear, amirite?”

“If you want to be,” Jim said. He ran and sliced a wolf’s jaw, then used his troll strength to grab it by the muzzle and slam it on its side before piercing its emaciated ribs. 

Blinky fired dwarkstones from his mech suit’s cannons, shocking the wolves long enough for Claire to open more portals under their paws. Aaarrrgghh clashed with one of the skeletal bears, his hands locked with its icy claws. They pushed against each other, snarling and growling. Aaarrrgghh caught it with a headbutt, then Toby’s warhammer cracked the back of its skull.

Another ice bear was keeping the Creepslayerz busy. Steve chopped into the monster’s side, backflipping out of the way when it retaliated with cold snapping jaws. Eli rushed in, twirling his serrator in his hand then goring the bear in its lifeless gray eyes. It shook its head and roared, frost shooting from its wounds. 

“Palchuk Charge!” Steve yelled.

“I’m gonna Pepperjack you up!” Eli shouted.

They both struck the ice bear with their weapons, Steve’s Akiridion-enhanced axe cleaving one of its ribs while Eli’s serrator carved right through its hard waxy skin. One more angry roar, and the bear went down.

“Let’s freaking go!” Steve laughed. He held up his hand, fingers making a C. “Now that’s what I call Creep!”

“Slaying!” Eli was about to complete the insignia when he spotted something falling out of the sky in his peripherals. An Akiridion battle pod crashed to the ground, frozen solid. Up above, dozens of battle pods were being overrun by frospecters, icicles spearing windows and frost debilitating functions. Eli touched the earpiece Izita got him. “Izita? Come in, Izita!”

“They’re too fast!” came Izita’s reply. “Everyone fall back! Try to keep your distance!”

The battle pods veered away, the frospecters in pursuit. 

“Make a circle everyone! Get them all in the middle!” Eli said, shifting his serrator into its rifle. The battle pods did as he instructed, whirling around each other until most of the frospecters were corralled. “Now get’em!” Eli looked into his scope and started shooting, picking off handfuls of frospecters in a matter of seconds. The surrounding pods opened fire, the cluster of enemies soon reduced to a cloud of cold dust. But as warned, more frospecters swarmed to take their places.

“Eli!” Izita pulled up beside them and opened her hatch. “I’m sorry there wasn’t another pod for you. But you can use this.” She reached behind her seat and produced a hoverboard. Its design differed from Aja and Krel’s boards in that it was engraved with one big electric blue X on its surface instead of four circles. “Queen Aja had this made for me, in case of emergencies.”

“Dude, we get our own Slayermobile?” Steve said, hopping on with Eli.

“Thanks a lot, Izita. I’ll try to get it back to you in one piece,” Eli said.

Frospecters turned on the Creepslayerz as they zipped into the air. Any that strayed close were minced to powder by Toothache, while Eli dispatched oncoming ones with his serrator rifle, his accuracy deadly and keen.

“You really are the assassin from Future Warrior 2!” Steve said.

“Skeltegs make good target pract—WAAAAHH!” Eli swerved the hoverboard as a ball of fire blazed past. Salamanders up on their hind legs were launching flames at the sky. He yelped into his earpiece, “Look out everyone!”

Steve shook off the dizziness. “Literally not cool, lizard dudes!”

The salamanders filled their cheeks with more flames, only to be cut in half by Varvatos Vex. Zadra was at his side, a blur of athleticism as she swung and twirled her double sided scythe, butchering salamanders to smoking ribbons.

“Glorious!” Varvatos shouted. He turned and found himself facing another salamander and two hellhounds. The hounds circled him, growls and flames trickling from their maws slobbering lava. One pounced on Varvatos’ back while the other tried to sink its teeth into arm. The salamander lunged and bared down on his breastplate, trying to burn through it with its iron hot claws. “GLORIOUS!!”

He flipped and slammed the salamander on its back, whaling it in the face then slashing its neck. He changed his serrator and blew back the hellhounds with a round of laser beams.

“Glorious death will have to wait,” Varvatos said.

“Glad you have patience, Vex,” Zadra sighed, ripping her blade out of a salamander’s head.

A group of one troll, two Akiridions, and three witches were facing off against a hoard of skeletal ice bears and wolves. Archie swooped down seconds before they were overwhelmed, flames erupting from his mouth. Douxie and Zoe hopped off and went to town.

“Caeru ignium pompas!” Douxie lifted his staff high, the runes on his bracelet spinning and flashing. Balls of azure flames shot into the air before exploding like fireworks, streaks of heat raining down. The wolves snarled and tried to escape the shooting fire searing their frigid hides. Archie enhanced the spell with his own flames and soon all of the wolves dissolved to steaming, oily puddles.

Zoe pointed two fingers at the sky, her aura soaking up the energy in the atmosphere and pulling her magic tight around her. She took a deep breath, concentrating. Just as the bears were closing in, Zoe’s aura went taut. At her shout, dense bolts of hot pink lightning crashed out of the clouds and conducted at her fingertips. Zoe whipped her arm down and the cords of lightning followed, flogging four massive bears and leaving them paralyzed on the electrified terrain. Charlemagne finished the job with jets of dragonfire.

Douxie smiled and sighed, fireballs and lightning exploding all around him. 

“She’s bloody amazing…Can you believe it, Arch? That’s my girlfriend!”

“Yes, yes, jolly good for you,” Archie groused, shaking frost off his wings.

“S-Sorry. Is everyone alright?” Douxie asked the fighters they’d saved. The two Akiridions helped the troll to his feet. They all nodded, grateful.

“T-Thank you, Master Douxie!” one of the witches said, tucking some hair behind her ear.

“Omg,omg,omg a Master Wizard just saved us and he’s super freaking cute!!” another witch squealed to her friend. 

“More like super hot tamales,” the last witch swooned while batting her lashes. “My hero! Can I have your num—eek!”

One look at Zoe’s glaring face was enough to halt the fangirling.

Douxie blushed. “It wasn’t just me. But y-yes, right, you’re very welcome, ladies. O-Off you go then. Be careful!”

The three witches zoomed away on magitech broomsticks, one of them wailing about wanting Douxie’s autograph.

“You really are the worst,” Zoe grumbled.

Douxie couldn’t help his grin. “A bit jealous there, love?”

She zapped him in the side and he yelped.

Archie landed heavily beside them and downsized, huffing and puffing as he went onto Douxie’s shoulder.

“Are you alright, Arch?” Douxie asked, cradling his Familiar’s cheek.

“Need a break from being my dad’s size,” Archie wheezed.

Charlemagne chortled, holding up his paws. “Indeed, these are big claws to fill!”

A quake pulled their attention to the center of the chaos. In the middle of giant robots and behemoths, laserbeams and whizzing frospecters, magic spells blasting and trolls walloping, were the Titans fiercely locked in battle. 

Fighters below scrambled out of the way as the Forest Titan was tipped onto its back. Its deer legs thrashed as the Fire Titan pinned it down. Lava poured from the Fire Titan’s plumage onto the Forest’s belly and hot claws dug into its sides. Nari screamed in pain, her Titan writhing in distress, all while keeping the Fire Titan’s snapping jaws off its face with its halberd.

“Nari…!” Douxie cried.

The Ice Titan came up with an arm reared to strike. Gigantic roots sprang from under its feet at the last second, flinging the Ice Titan forward so that it ended up cracking the Fire Titan’s skull instead. It toppled hissing and spitting off Nari, sprays of lava splashing.

“Skrael, you imbecile!” Bellroc seethed.

The Forest Titan rolled back onto its hooves, staggering from its injuries. Burns scrawled with fiery markings marred its underside. Nari clutched her stomach, breath stuttering. She clenched her teeth and stood straight as she could, glowered at Skrael going in for another attack. The Forest Titan held its halberd out at its side and charged.

A hellhound yelped and snarled as it blindly ran in circles. Luug’s mandibles were suctioned around its face while NotEnrique and Chompsky chewed on its legs, hordes of more gnomes swarming other members of its hellish pack. Alabast bawled in terror, aimlessly stabbing the air with his heartstone spear. The other trolls of Moonglow Hollow weren’t faring any better, swinging once with their weapons before turning tail, but at least managed to lead enemies to more capable soldiers.

“F-For the Moonstone, for the Moonstone, for the Moonst—AAAHHHH!!!” Alabast came face to face with an ice bear and made a bumbling run for it. It chased him right into the line of fire of wizards and was incinerated by rampaging spells. 

Ricky, Lucy, and Queen Wumpa hitched a ride on Stuart’s taco truck as he tore across the battlefield, a laser cannon firing away from the roof. The Blanks torched frospecters flying overhead. 

“Boom, boom, shake the room!” Queen Wumpa exclaimed while jamming her spear into a leaping hellhound’s stomach.

“Say what now?” Stuart said out the window. He squeaked when Ricky’s chipper upside down face appeared.

“Hit the brakes, champ!” Ricky said. “Unless you have stellar insurance.”

“Wha—YIKES!” Stuart swerved before his truck was crushed against the bulk of an ice bear. He did one huge u-turn, avoiding wizards but running right over salamanders, then slammed on the brakes, all passengers jerking forward. Stuart wiped his brow. “That was close. I do have pretty lousy coverage. Maybe cause I only pay with free guacamole ....”

The ice bear roared and barreled towards them. Everyone took aim, but before the frostbitten beast could reach them, thorny vines ensnared it. 

One of the huge flytrap carnifloras pulled the bear right into its grotesque mouth with a sickening crunch. Dozens more carnifloras sprang forth to consume the mobs of enemies. Bushes of pansies and primroses tore into the flesh of ice wolves. Spruce tree carnifloras tackled the bigger hulking ice bears, rows upon rows of sharp teeth hidden within their needled branches. Ravenous tangles of fireweeds dug into squirming hellhounds. Tall silversword flowers skewered salamanders with hundreds of bladelike hairs. Duos of colossal tree carnifloras and combat robots tussled with the volcanic behemoths.

“Crunchy veggies are the best!” Lucy exclaimed.

Luma danced through the warfare with her heartstone dagger, single-handedly dispatching one foe after another. 

Walter sliced through frospecters in the air. There was a blast close by. He turned a second too late and was caught off guard by an explosion of flames, his knives flying out of his hands as he slammed to the ground. The salamander hissed and crawled closer. It pounced as Walter reached to his belt…and ended up butchered in half.

Another monster lunged from behind and Walter whipped around. Nomura’s scimitars clove through the ice bear’s torso. When it fell onto its side, Walter finished it off with a hooked sunset blade to the chest. But he didn’t stop. Long after the bear went still, Walter kept hacking into it, his grunts getting angrier. A hand pulled on his shoulder.

“Stricklander!” Luma looked at the bear, chopped to cold pieces, then back. Her eyes were soft. “Enough. It’s done, my friend.”

Walter held her gaze while catching his breath, then looked down. Luma lingered a moment longer before patting his shoulder and moving away.

As his stare went from the broken remains of the bear to Nomura’s frost stained scimitars, Walter simmered. He glared daggers at the Ice Titan.

“No. It isn’t.”

The Forest Titan bashed its halberd into the Ice Titan’s scrawny waist, following up with kicks to its chest. It tried to impale Nari with its sharp right elbow as Skrael struggled to command it with his one working hand. Bellroc dug the Fire Titan’s talons into the Forest’s flank. Nari gasped in pain, willing her Titan’s hair to ensnare the attacker. The vines’ whetted ends littered the Fire Titan with cuts, black feathers swept away in the storm. Bellroc screamed and loosed a fiery wave, which Nari swiftly blocked with a magic shield. The Fire Titan’s ignited claws scraped against it, fern and scarlet sparks flying. Skrael charged up behind with deadly icicles protruding from the Ice’s arm. Nari flipped the halberd in her Titan’s other hand and swung, wood and ice grating. All three Titans backed off, shockwaves of their power rippling the air.

“Your foolishness knows no bounds,” Bellroc hissed. “Here we are, so close to doing away with this loathsome world. So close to making it anew! Yet you’ve chosen to delay it because of your idiotic affection.”

“Why, Nari?” Skrael seethed. “Why do you care about the vermin more than us?”

“Why can you not see that you are making a grave mistake?” Nari said. She gripped the halberd with both hands as the Titans circled each other. “Your bitterness has made both of you blind. I see now that all we have ever done is cause pain. But my friends, these souls you call vermin, still love me.” Her eyes went to Bellroc then Skrael. “I have never stopped caring about you. It is why I am standing against you now. Please…It is not too late to change and do the right thing.” Nari extended her Titan’s hand. “Stop this. Then we can be together again, as Father would want.”

To Nari’s surprise, Bellroc and Skrael stilled. A hint of nourishment for the bud of hope in her heart.

Aja and Krel raced closer and closer to the Titans, Aja covering her brother from frospecters and attacks hurtling from below.

“What’s going on? The Titans stopped moving!” Krel said.

“That works for us!” Aja said, shooting another frospecter its hideous face. “Let’s hurr—KLEB!”

Metal screeching resounded as a combat robot stumbled in their path. They veered out of the way, watching as it collapsed under the assault of a volcanic behemoth.

“NO!” Aja shouted when the behemoth broke through the cockpit. She looked up to see more bots going down, battered by flaming claws and melted by lava. Plenty of behemoths had been slain, but new ones continued to emerge. Even the tree carnifloras were starting to be overrun. “Seklos and Gaylen…!”

“Come on, Aja,” Krel said, voice quavering with grief. “We have to keep going!”

Nari offered her hand with bated breath, searching her siblings for any sign of yielding. The Fire Titan cocked its head, copying Bellroc’s musing. The Ice Titan shifted.

“Enough of all this pain and destruction,” Nari pleaded. “I will show what I have found. My friends can be your friends. Then we will be together in peace.”

Another pregnant pause. Then Bellroc inched closer until the Fire Titan’s muzzle was just within reach of the Forest’s palm. Skrael seemed perplexed, but followed suit, bringing his Titan forward.

“Your love for us has never waned,” Bellroc said.

Nari shook her head. “No. Never.”

Bellroc smiled.

The Fire Titan snapped down on the Forest Titan’s wrist.

“AHHHH!” Nari shrieked as hot knives shredded through her. 

“Skrael!” Bellroc bellowed.

Skrael strained to raise both of the Ice Titan’s arms to seize the Forest’s shoulders, serrated glaciers piercing in. Nari was pulled back and thrown to the ground, the pain excruciating as her Titan’s wrist was ripped from the Fire Titan’s jagged teeth. 

Bellroc took flight with their Titan’s mouth wide open as they shot towards the Heartstone.

“No!” Nari shouted. She kicked Skrael off and stood. All of her Titan’s vines whipped out in pursuit of the Fire Titan in the air. Several snagged its feathery tail while the rest constricted its talons. The vines went taut and the Fire Titan released a furious roar as it was dragged out of the sky and slammed to the earth. The Forest Titan ran and leapt onto the downed Titan, front knees pinning its wings. Nari pointed the tip of her halberd at the Titan’s long throat.

“Go on then, Nari,” Bellroc snarled. “Do it!”

Lifeless bodies littered the battleground, friends and foes alike. Only the foes were still coming, materializing from pools of magma and clouds of frigid mist. Carniflora numbers were dropping. Statues of trolls kept appearing. Spell-casters and Akiridions were losing steam.

Jim rammed Excalibur into an ice bear’s stomach, a one-hit kill. He rushed to a Krubera troll that had been speared by an icicle.

“You’re gonna be okay,” he breathed. How many times had he said this now? “It’s okay…Come on, stay with…” The Krubera turned to stone in his arms.

Zadra gripped the hands of a dying Akiridion soldier whose core had been blackened. 

“Commander Zadra…tell our Queen I’m sorry…,” the soldier uttered as they started to fade.

“Don’t be sorry!” Zadra said, voice laced with sorrow and rage. “You fought well. By Seklos, House Tarron and all of Akiridion-5 will remember you. I promise…!”

Douxie was at Clancy Pendragon’s side. Half of the wizard’s body was burned beyond salvation. 

“You’ll make it, old pal,” Douxie said, trying for a healing spell anyway. Tears leaked from his eyes. “I’m really, really sorry about your turnips. I’ve got you. I’ll fix this, let me just—”

Pendragon wheezed a chuckle. “You’re…somethin’ else…C-Cas…p…rn…”

He was gone. Soot swept between Douxie’s fingers and he screamed. Archie was instantly with him, nuzzling Douxie’s face. Zoe pressed close to him. 

“No…No, I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…,” Douxie sobbed. “It wasn’t enough. I wasn’t enough!”

“Douxie…,” Zoe breathed, head shaking.

“You did what you could,” Archie said. 

A salamander approached. Archie positioned himself between it and Douxie, growling and going up to a lion’s size. Douxie glared. He got to his feet, supporting himself with his staff before turning it on the beast.

Before the salamander could so much as hiss, it was obliterated by a violent gush of water.

They looked up to see an aquatic serpentine dragon with fin-like wings soaring over them. What came next was an echoing chorus of monstrous roars and their sources filling the air. Hundreds, maybe thousands of dragons descended from the storm. Wyverns, amphipteres, oriental dragons, dragons with fur, dragons with feathers, dragons with multiple heads, more winged sea serpents. Fire enemies were hosed down by powerful spouts of water. An outpouring of dragonfire incinerated herds of ice bears and wolves.

“Holy cats…,” Zoe gasped.

“Well it’s about time you all showed up!” Charlemagne said.

“Aye there, Charlie! Long time no see!” said one of the heads of a dragon. “Thanks for the invite!”

“You get a mane cut?” the other head said.

“Wahaha, just a trim!”

“Looks good!” a feathery dragon said.

“When we gonna play cards again, Charlie?” an oriental dragon asked.

Archie gaped at the flocks of dragons still appearing. He looked at Charlemagne. “Dad, you really…? I didn’t even know so many dragons still existed!”

“Well you should know, Archie, that a round of Draconic Cards makes quite a scene!” Charlemagne laughed.

“That must be your shapeshifting boy!” a wyvern said. “Hehe, and his stinky little human!”

“S-Stinky!?” Douxie sputtered. “Wha—I’ll have you know—” 

The wyvern flew away. “Stinkyyyy!”

Ignoring that and Zoe’s muffled snickering, Douxie’s grumbling turned to awe as he stood before the rest of their majestic reinforcements. All of his friends and their allies watched the skies, the relief breathtaking.

“Well this is insanely awesome,” Zoe said. 

“You’re brilliant, Charlie,” Douxie said.

Nari and the Order looked up at all the commotion. Infuriated by the additional opposition, Bellroc commanded their Titan to spew blistering flames onto the Forest Titan’s torso in Nari’s lapse in attention. She cried out in agony and backed off. The Fire Titan straightened its long neck, biting Nari’s Titan around its waist. An animalistic rasp tore from Nari and she thrust her halberd’s tip into one of the Fire Titan’s wings, lava bleeding over feathers when it pierced through. Bellroc and their Titan unleashed deafening screeches in tandem.

Krel and Aja finally made it within range of the Titans. With Bellroc and Nari having it out, Krel decided to take aim at Skrael first. He peered into the scope, trying to lock on in such unsteady conditions.

“Get the shot, little brother. Hurry!” Aja said while blasting away frospecters.

Bellroc observed the dragons overtaking their infernal monstrosities and snarled, “It. Is. FUTILE!” 

The Fire Titan retched another river of molten fire while the Ice Titan smashed its bulky arm to the ground, walls of jagged ice bursting up. Enchanted magma and ice converged, the lava trickling into the magic patterns carved into the glaciers. Puffs of steam rolled off the ice until the walls shattered. Nightmarish yowls like dying demons scraped the air. When the haze thinned, new atrocities emerged. 

Deformed and discolored rooster heads with blazing eyes. Ghostly pale, snaking bodies hanging from exposed ribcages. They were zombified with icicle spines and icicle claws on both talons, yet red flames streamed from their sawtooth beaks and the span of their rubbery wings ridden with tears. Legions of these fiery ice abominations tore out of the fog and collided with the dragons like starved beasts.

“Kleb!” Krel swerved his hoverboard as one came right at him.

“Little brother!” Aja shot madly at the thing. Whatever it was was way bigger than a frospecter, so instead of poofing to dust it snapped around to crunch down on her hoverboard. It splintered in the creature’s mouth and Aja plummeted.

“AJA!!” Krel cried, speeding after her. He managed to snatch her with two hands before she landed in the jaws of a behemoth.

Nearly every dragon was wrestling with one of the horrific fire-ice monsters, biting, scratching, breathing the elements. A huge one landed in front of Douxie and Zoe, its gross rooster head twitching and its notched beak dribbling flames. Archie and Charlemagne leapt to their defense.

“Dirty basilisks, always on the side of trouble!” Charlemagne snarled.

Icy blue flames blasted from the basilisk’s beak. Charlemagne countered with dragonfire, both energies clashing with rivaling power. Once the beams dissipated, the basilisk and Charlemagne rushed forward, exchanging blows with claws and teeth before shooting into the air. The basilisk was twice Charlemagne’s size but he didn’t relent in the slightest.

“I have to help him!” Archie said.

Douxie raised his staff at more enemies incoming. “Go!”

Zoe called down more lightning bolts while Douxie summoned a tornado of cerulean flames, magic flaring in his eyes. Hellhounds were electrocuted to nothing. Ice wolves and frospecters melted away. But in their place came another basilisk wailing its spine-chilling song.

“Come and get some!” Zoe shouted with fists sparking. She caught Douxie looking at her. “I’m fine.” But the fatigue on her face and her sagging posture betrayed her. 

Douxie was feeling it, too, the tiring of his magic reserves. The Titans were still going at it with no indication of lost magic from either Bellroc or Skrael.

“Come on, Krel,” Douxie pleaded under his breath. 

The basilisk lashed its tail, flinging dozens of its icicle spines. Zoe threw up a shield then accelerated with magic at her feet, aiming punches at its head.

“Tonitru vi forte! ” she shouted, her knuckles colliding with the basilisk’s mug with the force of a car crash. It came with three thousand volts ripping through its skeletal body, and the basilisk skid across the ground shrieking and convulsing. But by the time Zoe caught up to deal the finishing blow, it was twisting its neck and breathing frigid fire. Zoe faltered, taken aback. Freezing cold consumed her. “AUGH!”

“ZOE!” Douxie watched her slump to the ground, squeezing herself and shivering. Magic cloaked his body and he plowed towards the basilisk with a rageful yell, eyes glaring. “ADOLEBI TO CINNIHIL!”

Sigils drew themselves all around the basilisk, trapping it in a furious bright blue vortex. The sigils’ patterns flashed and their rings doused the beast with an onslaught of magic flames. The basilisk flailed with blood-curdling screeches until an explosion ruptured the spell. Only crystal ashes remained where the basilisk once stood.

Douxie rushed to Zoe’s side while coming down from such a feat. His heart dropped when he gathered her in his arms. She was shuddering like mad, freezing cold to touch and her complexion turned deathly pale. Her right bicep was maimed with frostbite. 

“I’ve got you, love, I’ve got you!” Douxie clutched her close, aura burning. “Calefacto, calefacto, calefacto…” He didn’t stop saying it for a solid minute. Gradually, warmth returned to Zoe’s body and she went limp. Douxie cradled her face. “Zoe? Zoe, are you alright?”

She curled against him with one big shiver. “And this is why I h-hate wintert-time…”

Up in the air, the duel between Charlemagne and the bigger basilisk raged on. Charlemagne dipped in the air for a second but kept flapping his wings, righting himself. Scars and burns riddled his body.

“Dad!” Archie soared close, flames building.

“Stay back, Archibald!” Charlemagne rasped. “This old dragon’s still got his fangs!” He roared as the basilisk lunged, dodging its beak and latching onto its back with his claws. Charlemagne sank his teeth into its leathery nape, shaking hard to rip its skin, then torched the wound. The basilisk yowled and lashed its long tail, icicle spines erected, catching Charlemagne in the side and knocking him out of the sky.

Archie blasted the basilisk’s face with red-hot flames before diving after his father. Charlemagne crashed, pained groans wheezing out of him.

“Father, are you alright?” Archie asked, pawing his wound-ridden chest. 

Charlemagne dragged himself up. “Spry as a hatchling…! Charlie’s not down yet.”

“I’m staying with you. Ah—No, no. Not a debate!” Archie crouched low as the basilisk found them. “Come on then, you cockatrice prat!”

Archie pounced, fangs blazing, but he was tossed aside like a sock puppet. Charlemagne jumped back in the air and breathed his fire, swooping out of the way when the basilisk swung its tail. It started to give chase only to be blindsided by a fireball from Archie. They were all back in the sky, Charlemagne and Archie circling and bombarding the basilisk with flames. It whirled in place, the force of its wings slicing the air pushing back the onslaught, then set its sights on Archie, the smaller target. A stabbing hailstorm blew off the basilisk’s tail. Archie morphed into a hummingbird, zigzagging out of the way, then jumped back into his lion-sized dragon form as he rushed forward, slashing his claws down the basilisk’s chest.

“Ohoho, that’s my boy!” Charlemagne said.

But the large basilisk, bruised white and bleeding lava, wasn’t slowing down. It snapped its head down, serrated beak snagging the scruff of Archie’s neck. At Archie’s sharp gasp and shaken strength, the basilisk doubled down, rending fur and skin as it shook Archie like a ragdoll before flinging him down. A cloud of icy flames struck him in the free fall, worsening the impact when it came. 

“ARCHIBALD!”

“Ugh…” Archie was small again, body pulsing with pain. The back of his neck stung like a slorr. He struggled to push himself up on his forepaws and looked up to see his father over him. Charlemagne turned back to the basilisk with a ferocious snarl and launched himself at the monster.

“You dare harm my son! Back, you demon!” Charlemagne roared.

He gored the basilisk’s ribs with his horns. It shrieked and bit him in the side, kicking its talons. Charlemagne hissed then sucked in hard, filling his chest with all the dragonfire it could hold before unleashing every spark onto the basilisk’s neck and face. The basilisk screamed and writhed as it was pelted with scorching energy, on the brink of finally being overpowered. Its hideous charred face started melting like wax. Its ribcage caved inward while its skin dissolved.

But then the fire stopped.

Charlemagne’s eyes widened. Broken sounds stuttered out of him. His wings went rigid. The world tilted. He looked down, trembling.

Sticking out of his chest was the icicle tip of the basilisk’s tail. With its final breath, it ripped itself out. Charlemagne choked. 

“NO!!!” Archie bellowed, watching devastated as his father and the basilisk fell out of the sky. Charlemagne crashed thirty feet away from him, the smoking husk of the basilisk landing further off and breaking apart. Archie slid towards Charlemagne’s form. “Father…No…No!”

Douxie and Zoe found him.

“Archie!!” Douxie ran to his Familiar’s side, picking him up. “Fuzzbuckets, Arch, are you still with me?”

“You really took a beating,” Zoe said, gut twisting at Archie’s bloodied neck.

“Ngh…! M-My dad, he’s…”

Douxie followed Archie’s gaze. His heart sank. “Oh no.”

He and Zoe hurried to Charlemagne. By the time they reached him, he was barely breathing. Douxie quivered at all the lacerations and burns. When he spotted the gaping wound in Charlemagne’s chest, Douxie’s legs gave out. Archie rolled out of his arms and limped to his father’s side.

“Dad?” Archie uttered, nosing Charlemagne’s face.

Charlemagne blinked, slow and bleary. His voice was only a whisper. “Archie…”

“You’re going to be alright, Dad. Just hold on. Just…”

“It pierced my heart, Archie.”

Archie buried his face and paws into his father’s mane. “No. This can’t be happening. Please…I-I’m sorry. I actually love your puns and your pies. I…I m-meant to visit you more. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll…!” He nuzzled him.

Douxie rested his hand on Charlemagne’s neck, eyes burning with tears. “Charlie…No, mate. Don’t do this to us.”

Charlemagne smiled. “This old dragon never thanked you, Hisirdoux, for taking care of my boy. Would you look after him a while longer?”

“Of course I will. Always,” Douxie sobbed. “But really, Archie’s been the one looking after me. Your son is brilliant. The best Familiar a wizard could ask for.”

“And a mighty dragon,” Charlemagne hummed. He looked into his son’s tearstained eyes. “My Archibald. How you’ve spread your wings and flown.”

“Don’t go,” Archie gasped. “Don’t go…!”

Charlemagne closed his eyes.

“Archie, he’s…,” Zoe managed through ragged breaths

Frost crept out of the hole in his chest and blanketed his body.

“Arch…I’m so sorry, Archie,” Douxie wept. “I’m so sorry.”

“D-Dad? Dad!” No response. Archie wailed. “Father…!”

Charlemagne went still.

~

Author’s Notes : *CRYING WHEEZING AND MUMBLING* battlescenesgivemesomuchgriefwritingisSOHARDSADFADS;LFKJADFA;DJ

Yes, Charlie was always on the chopping block ;__; I still love him, tho. My poor boy Archie T__T

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

[ghoulaiid]

A collection of Shadows fanart I've done over the past year and forgot to post 🤷‍♂️

[warhammer-fantasy-muses-archived]

In Karak Eight Peaks, slaughtering every rat he sees.

"Where is this so-called Head-taker. Bring him to me so that I may appraise him!"

And Skarbrand would soon have his request answered, as a loud battlecry/inhuman cacophony of shrieks was heard within a horde of his Bloodletters. And all of a sudden, in a swift crimson mist of blood, severed limbs, and cut-off heads, they'd emerge. The greatest and most armed elite warband of Clan Mors, the troops of Stormvermin handpicked by the Headtaker and his personal Fangleader themselves; The Red Guard.

With swinging halberds and two-handed blades, biting fangs and lacerating claws, they'd cut a swathe through the Bloodletters, severing limbs and heads as they went, with none other than Queek at the helm. Cackling with blood-maddened glee and sadistic joy, the Headtaker lived up to his name as he'd slice and smash skulls as he went, cracking open heads with his maul, or decapitating those who stood before him, his tail quickly snatching up the most prized Bloodletter heads to impale them upon his rack.

Soon enough, Queek would stand before the Exiled One, his mouth awash with the blood of his daemons, and weapons soaked in it, as he'd just glare up at Skarbrand with a grin that could even match that of a Greater Daemon of Khorne.

"You ask-wish to meet Queek! Queek is here-here! And Queek not take nicely-kindly to big Daemon-Thing killing his clanrats! My Stormvermin will butcher-slaughter your hordes, and claim many heads for trophy-racks! YES! YES-YES~! GHAAA-HAHAHAHAA!!"

@skxrbrand

[moltentwilight]

       ❛   Hmph.   ❜

           IT   was the only sound to indicate her arrival, yet it managed to slice through the frenzied static with ease. Truth be told, the Doctor was... actually holding their own. She recognized the weapon they’d chosen, the long pole with an ax blade at the end— halberd. It seems it was true what was said about the weapons giving superhuman capabilities... because Surtr found it difficult to believe the Doctor could have felled a couple of CPNs on their own, much less held at least a semblance of a chance against one of these bolstered Ofiuclones, if it were otherwise.

           But now she was here — and that not only leveled the playing field, but razed it to the ground. 

           Magma already drips from her blade like a potent poison, the familiar weight hoisted over her shoulder as if it were lighter than a sack of potatoes. One swing is enough to stagger the clone who dares to try and find the Doctor’s weak points, the ground cracking and hissing under the weight of such tremendous heat. It would keep the clone at bay for a few precious moments, at least, if it had any self-preservation. This leaves Surtr free to turn her gaze on her companion instead, a hint of a smile on her lips despite her chiding tone.

       ❛   Is your phone broken, Doctor ?  Surely you did not think picking up a flashy weapon would put you on par with me ?  Now here I am, having to pick up your slack nevertheless.   ❜

@babelsghost​ : SUBSISTENCE 2.5.

[elflock-magician]

"The Aftermath" (Reupload)

Summary - The aftermath of Meta Knights revenge.

Kirby had done it. He stood on the hill as he watched the Battleship Halberd touch down into the water, and sink beneath the freezing waves of Orange Ocean. Kirby had tried to save Meta Knight and his crew, he had tried to convince them to turn back, but they refused. They were so dead-set on taking over Dreamland. It was a quick turnaround for Kirby. About a week ago, Meta Knight was feeding him candy, and then he was trying to conquer Dreamland! Kirby didn't know why. This was due to Meta Knight constantly being vague with everything he said.

Meta Knight, despite the retorts from the crew, was able to get them off the ship before it would crash into the freezing sea. This left Kirby and Meta Knight to their wits and a one on one sword-fight. Though cut short by the crash of the ship. However, said sword fight went on long enough to reveal Meta Knight's face. Kirby found that he and Meta Knight were the same species. Species of what, Kirby didn't know. But Meta Knight was with him, and he was hoping to at least get some answers. Both of them were soaked in water after just barely escaping the crash. Kirby slowly turned around. Meta Knights mask had been sliced in half, so he was holding it together with his hands, and pressing it against his face, even though Kirby now knew he was supposedly the same species as him. Kirby stared out as the Halberd finally dipped underneath the waves, leaving their sight for good.

"Mr.Meta Knight, why did you try and take over Dreamland?" They began and turned to the Knight. "Can you give me a straight answer, for once?" They added. Meta Knight stared forward. He got to his feet. His now wet cape dragging behind him. Kirby was becoming fed up with this behavior. But suddenly, Meta Knight replied.

"A darkness is coming for Dreamland, Kirby." He said. "But why? Why go through all this?" Kirby questioned back. "Dreamland must be prepared to fight back." Meta Knight responded, being vague as usual. "And...if we don't?" Kirby asked. "Dreamland and its residents will disappear the same way your species did." Meta Knight explained. Kirby paused. "You mean...our species, right?" Kirby muttered. Meta Knight did not respond. "What happened to the rest of us? I...I feel like I deserve to know!" Kirby shouted. Meta Knight, at first stood still, until he slowly turned to look at Kirby in the eyes. He opened his mouth to say something. But he was cut off as a mallet, King Dedede's hammer, collided with his skull. It had been thrown at him, and the pure force of it sent Meta Knight practically flying. His form smacked against the ground as he yelped out in pain as he collided onto the ground.

To say Dedede was mad would be a lie. He was furious. Words could not and will continue to not be able to describe the emotions he was feeling. He was betrayed by the Knight he 100% trusted with his life. "You lyin'...cheatin'...traitor..." King Dedede growled. "Damn it, I trusted you!" He shouted. Kirby cowered. He had never seen King Dedede so angry.

Meta Knight pulled himself off the ground, still attempting to keep his mask tight on his face. Meta Knight thought himself capable of keeping his secret for good and forever, though it was theoretically impossible. Meta Knight stayed silent, and instead looked at his once trusted ally.

"What? Got nothin' to say?" Dedede questioned. Meta Knight silently looked up. "I will say nothing Dedede. I stand by what I did. Perhaps you should think as to why." Meta Knight replied. Dedede growled and his grip on his weapon tightened. Kirby was clearly becoming concerned with the growing tension. "What's the deal, wise guy? What reason could be so important that it was worth throwing everything you and I had away?!" Dedede questioned with a venom in his voice. "It was for your own safety." Meta Knight replied. "Quit with that junk and just tell me what was worth so much to you!" Dedede shouted. "They are coming for your home the same way he came for Kirby's. You needed to prepare the Dreamlanders by teaching them self defense! But you...you are too..." Meta Knight's voice trailed off. His words clearly did not soothe Dedede, but he awaited the Knight to finish his sentence.

"What? Was I not good enough? Ya could have just talked to me about this before trying to take over my kingdom!" Dedede said. "You are too earnest, and your heart is too open to ever try and shun out the enemy the way you would need too to succeed in the cold game of war." Meta Knight tried to explain. "You did not deserve to go through the downfalls of war in any case." He added in a quiet whisper. There was a silence. The atmosphere felt so thick that one could cut it with a knife. "You're such an idiot!" Dedede declared. Meta Knight struggled to his feet. "Ya should have just trusted me!" He said. "..." Meta Knight looked like he was going to say something. "But now it's to late for that." Dedede mumbled. He stood over Meta Knight. Meta Knight kept his body from trembling. He had to stay level-headed. He stood as still as stone as Dedede approached him. He had no fight or flight instincts apparently as Dedede towered over him. Kirby rushed over, grabbing Dedede's hand, trying to stop him. Meta Knight hung his head, not looking up at the man over him. Kirby bit their lip with fear as their grip on Dedede's hand tightened. Dedede sighed. "You're not worth it." Dedede said before turning away and leaving. This left Meta Knight alone on the ground. That hurt more than any kind of violence Dedede, or anyone could inflict onto him. "Dedede- wait!" Meta Knight called and struggled to his feet. "Gah-" he groaned and hit the ground, the injuries he sustained denying him the ability to walk. "Meta Knight!" Kirby called out and held Meta Knights arm to try and help him. "Dedede!" Meta Knight called after the man once more. Dedede wanted to look back. But he didn't. He couldn't be weak for his Kingdom. He took what Meta Knight had said into consideration. And he kept walking. 

-

It had been few weeks. Only a few. Dedede had begun preparing for whatever attack Meta Knight was warning of. He had taken to hiring more guards in the case of emergencies to protect Dreamland. He was sitting at his desk doing paperwork. Until there was a knock on his window. His...window? He looked over to the narrow window. Had another bird flew into it? It probably needed help if it did! It happened more times than Dedede would like to admit. He walked over the window and pushed it open. Dedede recoiled back.

"Uhm...G-Greetings...?" Meta Knight waved. He was clearly nervous. "Meta...this is the 3rd story." Dedede was first to comment. "I am aware. I did not wish to alarm any of your Dees." This went better in Meta Knight's head. Dedede sighed and crossed his arms. "What do you want anyhow? You've got some nerve to try and overthrow me then show up not even a month later!" Dedede called. Meta Knight sighed and evaded his eyes. He took a moment before making eye contact with Dedede. He stepped into the room from the window. Meta Knight remembered when they were not too much younger when it would be a casual thing for Meta to just drop in through the window. Dedede remembered it too, though he was starting to resent his past choices of trust towards the Knight.

"I’m sorry. I admit that I was wrong." Meta Knight stated suddenly. Dedede's glare softened with mild shock from the sudden statement. "I should have tried to communicate with you about the issue before skipping to violence and treachery." He explained. "You're...putting aside your pride ta' admit your mistake?" Dedede repeated and raised his eyebrow. In the time he had known Meta Knight, he knew he had a slight problem with pride. Though he seemed humbled by his defeat. "Precisely. Because..." His voice trailed off. "You, your emotions and...friendship mean more to me than any pride I may have." He said. 

There was a long silence in the air.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Dedede said with a sigh of relief. Meta Knight's head perked up. "Pardon?" He mumbled. "I really like ya MK," Dedede said and put his arm around the Knight, to Metas shock. "And I can't say I really forgive ya right now. But if you're willing to change then I'm willing to give you a second chance." Dedede said with a smile. 

Meta Knight pulled him into an embrace. 

"Thank you." He said. Dedede was a little startled by the sudden affectionate gesture, but accepted it in return. "Of course."

[mayohigan-orange]

While I like Kirby, I will admit that his characterisation is sometimes... inconsistent.

The best example I can think of right now is that in Revenge of Meta-Knight, he knows that Meta-Knight has a plan to take over Dreamland before the Halberd has even taken off. And the majority of the game features him going systemically through the Halberd and destroying it, bit by bit, before fighting Meta-Knight.

And then you have Squeak Squad where Kirby's set off on his dangerous adventure by someone stealing a slice of cake from him.